


home is in your arms

by lavenderlotion



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Bittersweet, First Kiss, Flirting Over a Chessboard, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mutant Husbands, Post-X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Post-X-Men: Dark Phoenix (Movie), Telepathy, X-Men: First Class (2011)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 07:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21798730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavenderlotion/pseuds/lavenderlotion
Summary: “You know, there would be space for you, in Genosha,” Erik told him carefully, walls of steel erected around his thoughts.“Would there?” Charles asked, and then,Because I have to wonder if there has space for each other in our lives for many, many years.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Comments: 27
Kudos: 142
Collections: Secret Mutant Exchange 2019





	home is in your arms

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BelgianReader2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelgianReader2/gifts).

> I did my best to write something that incorporated three prompts: _1\. Domestic fluff between Charles and Erik either in Genosha or in the mansion, 3. Paris proposal & 4. Erik helping Charles deal with his grief post-Dark Phoenix_. I really hope that you like what I did with this!

Charles grinned at Erik from across the chessboard, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. He swirled the glass in his hand before bringing it to his mouth to take a sip, letting the sharp wine sit on his tongue before swallowing it down with a soft exhale from his nose. Erik raised a brow at him but said nothing; Charles heard his amusement in his mind. 

“Enjoying yourself, my friend?” Erik finally asked him with the beginnings of a smirk. Erik finally took his turn, a piece on the board moving on its own, and Charles dug his teeth into his lower lip to keep down a smile.

“Of course I am, Erik,” Charles told him softly, his words barely a whisper in the stillness of the night. It was very late, and the rest of the house had long ago retired to sleep. Just as Charles had been considering turning in for the night, Erik had unlocked Charles’ bedroom door and sauntered inside with a fully set chessboard floating behind him. 

That had been...well, Charles wasn’t entirely sure how long ago, but it certainly felt like hours had passed as their game quite slowly progressed. Neither of them were quick players, and as Charles scanned the board he took his time thinking out his next move. Erik was far more of an offensive player, though it matched well with Charles’ own defensive strategies and ensured that their games were long and drawn out. 

It was just another way they fit together, another thing that Charles tried not to let himself think too deeply on, lest he fall to madness. Erik meant a great deal to him, more than anyone had meant to Charles in the past save for maybe Raven—but then that was a very different set of feelings, wasn’t it? 

Charles could not deny to himself how attracted he was to the man sitting across from him, wrapped tightly in a dark sweater and a pair of slacks that made his legs look nearly endless. Erik's’ jaw was covered in a layer of stubble that Charles wanted to feel against his skin, and his hair looked like it would be very soft under his fingers. And, while Erik was an  _ incredibly _ handsome man, he was also kind, and intelligent, and a great many other things that attracted Charles to him. 

The problem was that Charles wanted a great many things that he should not want. Wanting Erik in  _ most  _ of the ways he wanted him was wrong, but goodness, did he not care. Never before had there been someone in Charles’ life quite like the man before him, never before had there been someone that Charles would risk his reputation, his livelihood, on. Erik was so different, was so very unique, that Charles found he would do...well, close to  _ anything _ for the other man.

Charles thought normally he was very good at hiding it. The road trip had been a  _ constant  _ exercise in self-control, of keeping his hands and thoughts to himself, while there had been times when all he wanted to do was touch Erik, reach out with his power and brush Erik’s mind. Times when they had shared a room, had slept only feet apart from one another, and Charles had to use every bit of self-control he possessed to keep his hands and mind to himself. 

Times when it had  _ seemed _ like Erik would be  _ okay _ if Charles didn’t keep to himself, like he wouldn’t mind if Charles reached out, like he might want to reach out himself. 

“You certainly look it,” Erik told him after taking his own sip of drink. Charles did his best to stay in his own head, but Erik was thinking quite loudly and Charles had had more than one glass of wine, and so there were certain feelings that slipped across to him.  _ Times like now, _ Charles thought to himself, meeting Erik’s heavy gaze and gleaning enough from his mind that he  _ might _ be interested. 

Goodness, what a difficult man to read. 

“Do I?” Charles asked as he looked at Erik from under his lashes and ran his tongue over his lower lip. Well, Charles knew how to flirt. Might as well speed things along. Erik hummed in agreement, a hungry noise that made Charles feel very warm. “And you know what I look like when I’m enjoying myself, do you?”

Erik didn’t laugh, didn’t brush the comment off like half of Charles had been expecting him to. Rather, he leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows upon his thighs, his fingers tangling together in front of him. He looked at Charles’ slowly, eyeing him from top to bottom in a way that made Charles feel like _ prey _ that was being stalked. It was certainly not a bad feeling, not with Erik as the predator. 

“I’m quite afraid that I don’t,” Erik finally answered, and something very warm travelled through Charles’ stomach when Erik said, “but I am very open to finding out.”

And Charles—well, there was nothing else left to do but stumble across the distance between them and fall into Erik’s lap.

* * *

Charles didn’t bother moving when the deadbolt on his door flicked open. He heard the metal latches release and knew at once who it was, and he settled back into his bed after fluffing a few pillows up behind him. 

The hotel he was putting them all up in was incredibly luxurious—Charles had recently realized that he had  _ far  _ more money than he would ever be able to spend in a lifetime, as an investment he had made many years ago had recently paid off handsomely—and the pillows supporting his back were soft but still firm enough that he didn’t feel like he was sinking into them as he sat up. 

Just as Charles was ensuring his legs were properly covered by his blanket, the door swung open and Erik stepped into the room, bringing with him vivid recollections of the night they had shared many, many years ago.

There were a million thoughts that rushed through his mind at seeing his old friend, but the most prominent was that he had aged. They both had, as twenty some years didn’t often pass unnoticed—unless you were Raven, which Charles still found very unfair—and Erik looked it. But while he had aged, he also looked calmer than Charles had seen him in a great number of years, and that made it easy to smile at him as he stepped into the room. 

“Good evening, Erik,” Charles said calmly, raising a brow in question, “what brings you here?”

Erik was staying in the hotel with them as well, helping with the repairs of the mansion. It was more than Charles had imagined but was grateful for nonetheless. Getting to spend this time with Erik was something that Charles found himself increasingly thankful for, as they had gone so many years without seeing each other at all. 

Of course, there was the sharp ache of everything they had lost, of the careful distance between them that  _ hadn’t _ been there for that amazing stretch of months so many years ago, but Charles knew things had changed. Knew that  _ they _ had changed. It was bittersweet, knowing they were no longer the people they had been when...

Well, they were no longer the people they had been.

“I fancied a game of chess, and you are the only partner I’ll ever play against,” Erik told him, a heaviness to his words that echoed through his thoughts. Charles knew his words meant much more than just he was saying, but Charles didn’t push for more and didn’t delve any deeper into his mind. Having Erik in his room already felt enough like a dream.

Without waiting for a word of assent from Charles, Erik moved into his room, chessboard floating along beside him. Charles had to shake his head to avoid doing something ridiculous, like crying or finding something sharp to stab Erik with, and said nothing as the other man sat on the edge of the bed, right next to Charles’ calf. 

The board floated over until it was hovering just centimetres above Charles lap. Charles gave the other man a look but said nothing as one of Erik’s hands settled over his leg. He could not feel it, not really, but if Charles looked through his own memories and skimmed Erik’s mind to find what his hand felt, it was like he could imitate the feeling of touch. 

He quickly let the sensation fall away and focused solely on the man in front of him. “Erik, why are you really here?”

Erik continued to look at him with a gaze just an intense as he’d ever been. Charles couldn’t read it, not like he had once been able to, and he kept himself from reading Erik’s thoughts. It was kind enough that Erik had come to his room without his helmet on—Charles didn’t want to betray that show of trust. 

“I quite miss your hair,” Erik said instead of answering Charles’ question. A moment later, the first chess piece moved. 

Charles shook his head, missing the way his hair would have once followed the movement. “There are a great number of things that I miss, old friend,” Charles told him, “and I’m afraid my hair is not very high on that list.”

Erik nodded, and they lapsed into silence. Charles thought of his move before he dug through Erik’s mind and found the cool awareness of his mutation and moved his own piece. Instead of an outburst, Erik gave him a warm smile and opened his thoughts, and from there they played in silence, not needing to speak to enjoy the other’s rare company. 

When the game was finished and Charles had won, Erik stood and leaned down to press a long kiss to Charles’ temple, his stubble catching against his skin in a way that made Charles suck in a sharp breath. Before he could stop himself he had wrapped his hand ‘round the back of Erik’s neck and pulled him into a proper kiss that didn’t last nearly as long as either of them wanted. 

“Goodnight, Charles,” Erik told him against his mouth, and Charles brushed over his mind as he said,  _ Goodnight, Erik. _

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Charles tipped his head back and ignored the way his lower back twinged at the movement. In the last handful of years, his injury had been more pronounced than ever. Charles knew it was nothing but age so he didn’t worry, but he still found it rather inconvenient when the ache in his back flared up.

Sighing, he shifted in his chair to a more comfortable position, using his arms to lift himself up and adjust his torso. With a far lighter sigh than the one he’d just let out, Charles reached forward and grabbed his tea. He had given up caffeine when he had stopped drinking, and the drink he had was a lovely herbal blend. He closed his eyes and pushed aside his awareness as he let the sharp berry taste sit on his tongue before swallowing it with a soft noise. 

As he was placing the cup back onto its tray, he felt a mind brush over his own. Without opening his eyes, a smile far softer than any he had worn for the last several months slipped over his face. Charles had not known many people without telepathy of their own who could reach out to his mind in such a way, and there was only one mind that had been doing so for decades. 

“I see the way you enjoy your drinks hasn’t changed,” Erik’s voice was just as familiar as it had always been. It had changed slightly over the years, his accent fading away and his pitch deepening a touch. The way he sounded in teasing was the same as it had been forty years ago, and that brought a wider smile to Charles’ face. 

_ And I see your penchant for showing up announced with a game of chess hasn’t changed either, my friend, _ Charles said into his mind, not wasting a single moment after being locked out for  _ so  _ long. He had missed the gentle brush of Erik’s thoughts against his own, and he had to reach up and brush away a tear as Erik sat across from him.  _ Oh, it is wonderful to see you, Erik. _

Erik smiled at him a gentler smile than Charles had ever seen on his face and set up a game for them. Charles took in the new lines on Erik’s face, the signs that things had changed, that they had aged even further than the last time they had allowed themselves to sit across from each other this way. There were a fair number of newer wrinkles around his eyes that Charles hadn’t had a chance to study when they’d been fighting. 

“It’s quite nice to see you too, Charles,” Erik told him, and  _ oh, _ the way he said his name was so very sweet. Charles found himself ducking his head with a blush, feeling much like an embarrassed school boy speaking to their crush. Luckily, Erik took mercy on him and made the first move. 

The game was so very familiar. They had spent decades playing against each other, in one form or another, that now it felt much like coming home. The sun was warm and the city was boisterous around them, but Charles found all that very easy to ignore when he had Erik sitting in front of him and a chessboard between them. They fell into something familiar, though much more lighthearted than the last time they had played. 

“You’re doing well, my friend?” Charles had to ask, waiting on Erik to make a move. The other man had his elbow propped on the table to support his chin in his hand as he leaned forward and watched the board keenly. 

“I am,” Erik told him after a moment, and then into his mind added,  _ Genosha is doing well. _

“I’m happy to hear that,” Charles said genuinely. He had never wished any harm on Erik, not during all the years they had been apart, and he had always wished to see both their dreams come true. It only saddened him that those dreams hadn’t been able to come true together. 

“And how are the children?” Erik asked, and there was genuine curiosity to his voice. 

Charles was truthful when he said, “They’re doing as well as can be expected. From what I’ve heard, Hank is settling in quite well and doing an excellent job as Headmaster. He’s perhaps more suited for it than I ever truly was.”

“That cannot be true,” Erik protested sharply, and all Charles was able to do was shrug. He had made so, so many mistakes during his time as Headmaster that he had to wonder if what he had accomplished had been worth it. Erik sighed, moved his piece, and then they sat in silence for several long moments. 

“You know, there would be space for you, in Genosha,” Erik told him carefully, walls of steel erected around his thoughts. 

“Would there?” Charles asked, and then,  _ Because I have to wonder if there has space for each other in our lives for many, many years. _

“There is now,” Erik said aloud, and there was something steely in his eyes. It was the same determination that Charles had fallen in love with decades ago, and seeing it now made his heart race. 

“Many years ago, you gave me friendship, and then you gave me a home, and then you gave me something I had given up on many long years before,” Erik reached out and took Charles’ left hand into his own, running his thumb over Charles’ knuckles, “you gave me love, Charles, and that...well, it wasn’t something I had ever thought I would find again. But I found it in you, I found a  _ home  _ in you, and—” Erik’s voice broke, and Charles’ eyes began to fill with tears when a ring made of smooth, polished metal floated from Erik’s pocket into the air between them. Erik cleared his throat, and his voice was steadier as he finished, “Charles, I would like to find that home again. Please, would you marry me?”

_ You foolish, ridiculous man, of course I’ll marry you, _ Charles said immediately, and then as the ring slipped onto his finger, said out loud, “Yes, Erik, I love you, I love you so very much.”

Erik laughed, and wiped a tear from where it had slid down to his jaw before he leaned across the table and kissed him. And then kissed him again and again, until they were both laughing with so much joy they could no longer press their lips together and instead rested their foreheads against one another, grinning brightly as their minds brushed together intimately. 

* * *

A game of chess sat before Charles, stagnant. It had been Charles’ move many, many minutes ago, but he found he didn’t have the energy to reach in front of him and move a piece, nor did he have the will to move it even if he did. It felt very much like he didn’t have the energy for  _ anything, _ but he had made an effort during the morning. 

While Erik had told him it would be fine for them to stay in bed that day, Charles hadn’t wanted to just lie around. He had been sure that would make it worse, and he busied himself with tasks around the island. They had recently had a young mutant come to them who could put themselves into the minds of others, and the poor boy was having difficulty controlling it. 

So Charles had spent a few hours working with him before holding a lesson for some of the younger children, most of whom had been born on the island. Erik had checked on him numerous times despite Charles’ dismissals, until finally it had gotten to be too much and he’d retired to their home. 

Charles had taken a bath that Erik had joined, and they had sat together until the water grew cold, and then a few minutes more before Erik had helped Charles rise and then used a metal block to carry him to their bed. That was where they were now, propped up against pillows piled against their headboard, still nude but covered by a sheet, and cuddled together. There was a chess board hovering above their laps, though neither were really playing. 

“I miss her, Erik,” Charles said, his voice hoarse. He wiped his face of tears only for more to follow, and he stared sightlessly at the board in front of them. 

“I do as well, my love,” Erik told him softly. His hand in Charles’ was warm, but the way their minds were wrapped together was warmer still. He rested more of his weight against his husband’s side, and played with the ring Erik wore, to keep his hand busy.

Charles laughed, though it was a sad noise. After a moment he cleared his throat and said, “She would tease us terribly if she were to see us now. I’m sure she’d be calling us a pair of old farts.”

“We are old farts,” Erik told him with a nod and a poke to Charles’—rather soft—middle. Charles scrunched up his nose at him, but still pressed forward for a short kiss. 

“We are far too adventurous to be called old farts,” Charles protested, but it was mainly because he knew it would cause Erik to throw his head back and laugh in a way that Charles had always loved. 

After a moment, Erik tugged him loser and wrapped himself around him, pulling him against his chest. Charles sighed as he melted into the embrace, greedily soaking up Erik’s warmth and the comfort that it brought him. 

“You know what I think of when I miss my meine Mutter?” Erik spoke against his ear, his nose brushing gently against Charles’ head. Charles made a noise of inquiry, finding the soothing tone of Erik’s voice familiar even though he’s heard this story. “I think of how incredibly happy she would be for me and how joyous she would be knowing that I found someone who loves me the way you do.”

“Erik,” Charles said quietly, and then turned to brush their lips together in a kiss that tasted of salt. He pressed his hand to Erik’s cheek and brushed a thumb over the coarse beard he’d grown, looking into a pair of eyes he knew like no others. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Charles,” Erik pressed their foreheads together, and then repeated the words straight into Charles mind. The chessboard floated away, and Erik supported Charles with one arm as he began moving about pillows. “I think it’s time for bed.”

“It’s early,” Charles protested, but he still shifted to lay down, lifting his arm so Erik could cuddle closely against his chest. 

“But Charles, I thought we were old farts,” Erik teased, shifting onto his elbow so they could share a kiss. Charles ran a hand through Erik’s hair and gave it a gentle tug, giving him another long kiss before thinking,  _ Thank you, my love. I have no idea what I would do without you. _

_ You’ll never have to find out, _ Erik reassured The wedding ring he wore with pride warmed against his finger, and Charles smiled for the first time that day. 

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated!


End file.
